1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sprinkler systems, and more particularly to a single-piece manifold for a sprinkler system.
2. Prior Art
Many public and residential buildings are now being built with sprinkler systems for suppressing fires and initiating a fire alarm. As shown in FIG. 1, sprinkler systems commonly include a prior art multi-piece manifold assembly connected to a water supply for providing a potential source of water for use by a sprinkler system in the event of a fire. A typical multi-piece manifold assembly of the prior art comprises a check valve arrangement 1 having first and second check valves for preventing fluid flow from the water supply through the multi-piece manifold assembly until activation of the sprinkler system as well as prevent the back flow of water from the sprinkler system to the water supply after activation has occurred. The multi-piece manifold assembly further comprises a flow switch 2 for indicating fluid flow through the manifold assembly when the sprinkler system is activated, a pressure relief valve 3 for relieving an excess pressure condition inside the manifold assembly, and a test and drain valve 4 which permits the user to test the entire system for system pressure and drain the system for maintenance.
As further shown, the multi-piece manifold assembly includes a network of parts requiring multiple connections which can be difficult and time consuming to assemble. One drawback of the multi-piece manifold assembly of the prior art is that the multiple connection of parts can lead to the possibility that leaks may develop at various connection points along the manifold assembly. In addition, pressure surges in the water supply line may also cause the check valve arrangement 1 to move which can inadvertently sound an alarm falsely indicating that fluid flow has been initiated through the multi-piece manifold assembly. Finally, degradation of the sealing elements of the second check valve in communication with the sprinkler system can cause liquid from an activated sprinkler system to build up in the space defined between the first and second check valves which may cause the back flow of contaminated water from the sprinkler system to enter the water supply if a sufficient pressure head was generated to overcome the first check valve.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a single-piece manifold of unitary construction that prevents the sounding of a false alarm due to the pressure surges in the sprinkler system. There is a further need in the art for a single-piece manifold having a detection mechanism for detecting the initiation of fluid flow through the manifold. Finally, there is a need in the art for a single-piece manifold that prevents the back flow of water from the sprinkler system back into the water supply.